Word family noun success succession successor adjective successful ≠ unsuccessful successive verb succeed adverb successfully ≠ unsuccessfully
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishunsuccessfulun‧suc‧cess‧ful /ˌʌnsəkˈsesfəl◂/ ●●○ adjective not having a successful result or not achieving what you wanted to achieve an unsuccessful attempt to climb Everestunsuccessful in (doing) something We have been unsuccessful in finding a new manager. —unsuccessfully adverb He tried unsuccessfully to make them change their decision.COLLOCATIONSadverbslargely unsuccessfulThe advertising campaign has been largely unsuccessful.singularly unsuccessful (=unsuccessful to a great and noticeable degree)The education service has been singularly unsuccessful in achieving greater equality.ultimately unsuccessfulIn both cases negotiators were ultimately unsuccessful.nounsan unsuccessful attempt/bid/effortWe made several unsuccessful attempts to tackle the problem.an unsuccessful campaignHe quit politics following his unsuccessful presidential campaign.verbsprove unsuccessfulThe search for a planet like the Earth has so far proved unsuccessful. Examples from the Corpus
unsuccessful• I regret to inform you that your application was unsuccessful.• Their attempts to crush the revolt were unsuccessful.• Bills promoted both by backbenchers and ministers to reform the law have been unsuccessful.• an unsuccessful artist• The army made an unsuccessful attempt to end the rebellion.• The Society was substantially unsuccessful in its aim of persuading other charities to adopt the same methods.• An unsuccessful interview sounded like a bad accident.• unsuccessful negotiations• Mr Palomar's attempt to isolate the wave is a difficult and repeatedly unsuccessful one.• He has already made three unsuccessful shots at the presidency.• The journalist blinked at her for a few seconds before his tanned face collapsed, reminding Blanche of one of her unsuccessful soufflés.unsuccessful in (doing) something• The argument, I shall maintain, is unsuccessful in all its versions.• However, she was unsuccessful in an important competitive relationship, the annual personnel evaluation in her division.• As for the rapists, I bet they are unsuccessful in attracting females, and so resort to desperate means.• Phil Gramm, R-Texas, who was unsuccessful in his own bid for the presidential nomination early this year.• For all his experience, he was ill at ease in the chair, and unsuccessful in holding a fissiparous membership together.• The Society was substantially unsuccessful in its aim of persuading other charities to adopt the same methods.• You will be told if you are unsuccessful in your application and you will have the right to have your application reviewed. 